Decomposers
What is the role of a decomposer in an ecosystem?
break down dead organisms and their wastes
Fungi can live even after their food source is gone. How can it live even though it has no food to survive on?
It stores excess food as sugar
Use arrows to show energy transfer for an ocean food chain: seal, plankton, shark, fish, sun.
sun, plankton, fish, seal, shark
Why are humans said to be part of MANY different food webs?
Give 3 examples of decomposers?
Fungi, bacteria, beetles, flies, earthworms etc.
If we put a piece of bread and a little water in a baggie to grow mold as an experiment, and we know decomposers need resources in order to grow and give off waste products. What is one to measure the amount of mold growth and its waste each day in an experiment?
See how much CO2 was released from the Decomposers as waste in the baggie.
Living things obtain ______ from their environment and release ______ back into it.
A. waste, matter
B. matter, waste
C. matter, energy
B. matter, waste
When a decomposer dies, its once-living material becomes waste. These wastes are then…
released into the air, soil, and water of an ecosystem.
Decomposers are known as "natures __________".
Hint: You do this in school with your paper products.
natures recyclers
What do all food chains have in common?
What TWO things do they all begin with?
They all begin with thee sun and a producer.
Compost takes advantage of natural processes to:
(What is the purpose of compost?)
help return matter to their ecosystem and make new soil to grow new life
Which decomposer would you most likely find under your fingernails and on your desk?
bacteria
Why is the base of an energy pyramid larger than the top?
Energy is lost as heat at each level so less energy is available at the top
What gas is released as waste from Decomposers that would be useful in helping producers grow?
Carbon Dioxide
Give an example of:
A producer
A consumer
A decomposer
Producer: Any plant life
Consumer: Anything that eats organisms
Decomposer: Anything that breaks down dead things
How are food webs different than food chains?
Food Webs show many feeding relationships in many directions and food chains only show one path of a feeding relationship